THE PROPHET OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Another piece of Mary Murfree's excellent work (see my review of In the Stranger Peoples' Country). The Prophet of the Great Smokey Mountains is about law - customary, governmental, and divine - and the issue of translating between them. In less straightforward ways, it is also about the conflict between thought and feeling and between perspicacity and inevitable illusion or opacity. The characters are compelling, and Murfree's impressionistic style, of course, is incredible: just look at those first sentences! The resulting contrast between rough characters and rich style draws attention to both the limited ability of individuals to understand their environment and artist's inevitably limited ability to understand individuals. (Goodreads)